Ryan Murphy's latest true-crime anthology, 'Monster: The Ed Gein Story', has been condemned as 'lurid exploitation dressed up as a serious drama'. The Netflix series, which focuses on the grave-robbing murderer who inspired films like 'Psycho' and 'The Texas Chainsaw Massacre', has drawn sharp criticism for its graphic depiction of Gein's crimes without sufficient focus on victims.
Critics argue that while previous seasons of 'Monster' attempted to balance sensationalism with victim-centred storytelling, the Ed Gein instalment leans heavily into 'pure freak show' territory. Early episodes portray Gein's morbid fascination with female bodies and his abusive mother, played by Laurie Metcalf, in what reviewers describe as 'bleak, ugly, and wholly expected'. The show's treatment of gender identity has also been questioned, with some suggesting it conflates queerness with deviance.
The series features Charlie Hunnam as Ed Gein and includes performances from Lesley Manville and Joey Pollari. Despite a late-season attempt to offer a more nuanced psychological diagnosis—including references to schizophrenia and gynophilia—the overall execution has been deemed reckless. Murphy, who served as producer, is accused of perpetuating a troubling link between queer identity and psychosexual torment, a theme critics say recurs in his work.
